Thursday, August 25, 2011

Structured Fun

I've been getting a lot of flack, good natured flack, but flack nonetheless from some dear family members about being somewhat of an anal-overly-organized-schedule-obsessed-mom.

And yes, I must admit that I do like to have most aspects of our day scheduled in advance. I like to have an idea ahead of time, what we are going to do, where we will do it, and with whom. We have scheduled times for our meals, and snacks. I almost always have thought out those meals in advance and make sure they are well balanced. I like to be prepared when we go out, prepared with drinks, snacks, diapers, wipes, toys, a change of clothes, etc.

I also like to keep my kids as clean as possible and try therefore pick cleaner food options. Oranges, pears, and apples are cut up. Ketcup, mustard and other condiments are dispersed at a minimum. I opt for Dums Dums as apposed to Blow Pops because by the time Dum Dums start to get messy, they are gone. I choose Otterpops over other popsicles, because with their wrapping, they usually make a cleaner snack. And in an attempt to keep my home cleaner and more organized, which often feels like a fruitless effort, my boys play with one activity at a time, and clean up that activity before moving onto something else.

We have at our house, what our extended family members refers to as "structured fun." Doesn't make me sound like much fun at all, eh?

But here's a secret... I think structured fun is fun. My kids and I have a good time each and everyday. We play together; we play with friends. We are more often than not out and about. We see things, we experience things, and we pretend. We sing, laugh, tickle, play silly games and hug. And when special times come along, we even diverge from the plan, and act impulsively. So, I'm choosing to take "structured fun" as a compliment, because it is the only way I know how to be a mom without going crazy.

6 comments:

I think you are just fine!! My biggest pet peeve is sticky hands and faces. :) :) And we definitely do a lot of picking up after ourselves throughout the day. Your boys are learning great habits from you right now that their wives will be grateful for (or missionary companions or roommates), so don't feel bad about being called anal! :) :)